Praise Jesus and pass the Buffalo wings. The Rutherford Institute, a conservative civil liberties organization based in Charlottesville, successfully pressured the NFL to allow churches to view the Super Bowl on large-screen TVs.
 Rutherford Institute President John Whitehead helped pressure the NFL to allow churches to screen the Super Bowl on large-screen TVs. |
Last year, the NFL told an Indianapolis church to cancel a Super Bowl party because, among other things, it planned to show the game on a 12’-wide screen. The NFL has a long-standing policy against “mass out-of-home viewings” of the Super Bowl on screens larger than 55”.
Rutherford attorneys pressed the NFL to make an exception for churches, enlisting the support of U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.). On February 19, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) stating that the NFL would not object to religious organizations showing the big game as long as the viewings are free.
“I’m glad to see the NFL change its policy,” said Rutherford President John Whitehead. “It all goes to show that ordinary people can effect change, but you can’t back down.”